Composite yarn and method of producing same



July 12, 1960 c. s. LAWRENCE ETAL 2,944,383

COMPOSITE YARN AND METHOD OF' PRODUCING SA/ME Filed Oct. l, 1958 www@ INVENTORS.

CHARLES 5. LAWRENCE- am/HENRY M. Srxzu, JR. BY Jifmmjmk Q1/UQ ATTORNEYS UnitedStates. Patent' COMPOSITE YARN AND METHOD oF PRoDUcING SAME *Charles S.v Lawrence and iHenry M; Strub, Jr., Winstonf Salem-,-N.C., assignors'to- The Duplan-Corporation, New 1 YorkgtNiY., a corporation'of New YorkV Filed oct. 1, 1958, ser. No. 764,549

4 claims. (Cl. 57-140) The' yarn will pile up at yarn guides, yarn tension devices and the like unless the. length of eachindividual endiis-the same in any givenlength of?thecomposite'yar-n'. Ina' plied composite yarn,niifone end isewrappedabout theV other its-length will be longerr thanstheother: endy and whenr the compositefyarnl passes through yarn', tension devices, and the like, the longer yarn endwill be moved along the other yarn end'. and" accumulate thereon.` Thisaccumulationv will eithercause the yarn to'zbreak or passi through the` tension device or theflike and remain onthe-yarn. Where .the composite yarn'is'zbeing fed tothe needles of a knitting machine, the accumulation offyarn willform a defect" in the. fabric.` l

It? is the primary object of this invention to provide' an improvedcomposite yarn and method of" forming4 the same wherein the individual ends are pliedl or twisted together ina novel manner'so that equal lengths of each yarn end'are present in any given length of the compositey yarn. This plyingtogeth'er whereby an equal lengthof each yarn' is utilized is in contrast to' the usual plying practice wherein the4 length of each. yarn end is not positively controlled.' and"on'eyarnrmajyfy be' wrapped about the-other. Y A

' It "is `another 'object of thisiinvention' to provide'ra compositeyar'n formed'offa plurality ofY individual ends plied'.

together S0.r` that equal lengths of each'yarneend'; are

present in any given length ofthe composite yarn whereby .theyarny may lbe successfully usedv in various-textile processes, such as knitting, to prevent piling up, of one endxiofthe yyarn as it*passe'snthrough-V various tension` devices and the yarnfeedingfingers of aknittingmachine.y Some ofthe objects-of theinventionhavingbeenstated,` other objects will appear as thedescription proceeds when takenyinfconnection with the accompanying drawings,in which"- Y Y l lFigurefl isan 4isometricfview schematically showing theapreferred mannerof plying two strands to forma composite yarn strand; l Y Figure 2 is anotherschematic*isometric view showing an apparatus for imparting additional turns 'of twist tothe composite yarn strand; Figure l3 is another schematic isometric 'viewshowing the' twistedicomposite strand'b'eing rewound onto cones suitable vforknitting while applyingasuitable lubricant' to thestrand; K 4 v v Iiigur'e'Ll-'is-` a vertical sectional v'iewtake'n substantially alongA thel line 4-4 in Figure" 1';

Figure Sfis avr-view similarfto. Figure14 except showing thepreferred'manner of plyingtthree strandsrofv yarn. to' form: ascompositefyarnstrand.;

composite yarn strand and method of forming the same Whichisiformedof'a plurality ofstrands of rnonoilarnentFV nylon yarn and wherein each' strandhasxdiiferent shrink-k age characteristics; This type of. composite yarn is in particular demandk for use iny knitting ne gauge. fabric such asladiesy hosiery; Multiple strand tine gauge ladies?- hosieryhas af greater resistanceto runs than `hosiery knit of a `single"strandbecause when the-individual stitch loops' are Aknitted of-'several strands, should one of the strands break, the remaining strands will hold` the stitch loop. and: preventruns'and: theV like'thus insuring longer life for. the lio'sieryf In order to'insurethat all of the strands in theV stitch' loops are not-broken at the same time, it is`l desirable that the individual strands be-separated slightlyl in each-stitchv loop.

v Theeuse of-'fmulti'plef strands rhaving diierent shrinkage characteristicsfto form aiA knit fabric is known in the art; for exampleseeY U-.S'2 Patent No. 2,636,369`t'o Samuel` Tait, Ir., and- Nof- 2,715,762 to -Wiiliam Schumann".V Both of?y thesepatents teachfeeding each strandV of' yarnf to1 the yarn feeding means of a knittingmachine separately Wit-honte 'p1-'evi'c'nisljrA plyingor' otherwise combiningthe same] Sinceeachjstrandis'fed separately, itt-is almost impossible to" maintainv equal tension ony each strand" and thereforejequal lengthsof eachy strand are'not presentr inreachstitch"loop-sothat when the-fabric is inish'edf tof shrink theyarn, thest'randsin"eachastitch'loop may notseparate'properly. y

In the present invention, the composite strand is formed* of'` monol'ament nylonk strandsj whichI havey diierent shrinkingcharactestics andwhich Yare plied together,j prior to1knitting,r in a novel` manner to insure that'the lengthofieach strand'in'a given length of the composite strand willf be-'equalv Thecomposite strand may thenv be'fedjfrolrnA a singletyarn source, such as a yarn supply coneand thetensioniregulated on'the strand. Extreme care must'beltakenwhen lplying the two yarns in order to Finsurethat"thesame length of'yarn of each typeis present'inanygivenllength of'the composite yarn becauseY ifthe yarns `are'not of the 'jsam'e length, when the comfpo'site yarn` is fed tothe knitting machine, any'slackness orlglvfeaterlength in one yarn will' result'inthe yarn piling uporba'ckingjup to forma knotor'slub'in the yarn at yva'rnitension devices or the yarn feeding finger. When this` ,slub` builds -upv to ^a" considerable size, it will either break 'the yarn or' passjthrou'glr the device causingthe `slub ,tok form` andV pass intoV the knitted fabric where" it' willlielnoted, andY isY objectionable. I i' The followingjexampl'es are illustrative of different yarn-sizes,andi/treatments which have been used successfllyftlfo'rmi a/ composite: strand suitable for knitting multiplestrand nergaugeV ladies vhosieryY but it is not intended to. limit the invention" thereto.'

Example I 74AOne jet-1dV '-o 1G' denier monotil-ament nylon, as received fromthenianufacturer, is Wound onto a sizetube formed otjaluminumand indicated at '10 in` Figure 1. The' yarrr qnth'e, sine tube l'isthen steamed in` a steam cabinet at v denier partiallypreshiunkf-nylonfindicated at N- lare A `drawn upwardly froml the respect-ive 4lzand size tube' l Patented-July 12, 1960 3 through a yarn guide pigtail 14, over a vertically movable yarn traversing guide and Wound onto a bobbin 16.

Because of the difference in diameters of the pirn 12 and size tube 10, the preshrunk nylon N1 is Wrapped around the unshrunk nylon N42 approximatelyone'turn' in 18 inches of length as :they pass through the yarn guide 14 to form the composite yarn strand indicated at C. `It is to be noted in Figure l that no tension devices' are used on either strand as they are plied yand wound onto the bobbin 16 and the tension therefore remains in a very low range of from one to one `and one-half grams.

The bobbin 16 is then placed on the driven spindle 17 of an uptwister, guided upwardly through a pigtail yarn guide 20, over a horizontally movable traversing yarn guide 2l and wound onto a take-up bobbin 22. The takeup bobbin 22 -and the supply bobbin 16 are driven in a conventional manner and at suflicient speeds to impart two turns of twist per inch in the composite yarn strand C.

In order to facilitate feeding the yarn on a knitting machine, the composite yarn C is then wound from the take-up bobbin ZZ onto a suitable cone 24 on a conventional winding machine. During this Winding operation, a thin coating of oil of a relatively light Weight, say 125 viscosity rating, Vis applied to the yarn strand by a roller 26 w-hich is rotated in a trough of oil indicated at 27. The yarn strand C is guided to contact the roller 26 by pigtail yarn guides 28 land 2 9. During this winding operation, no additional turns of twist are placed in the yarn and the oil is lapplied thereto only to vfacilitate knitting so that the yarn will be lubricated to pass through the yarn feeding nger `and the hooks of the knitting needles more easily.

The compos-ite yarn C can then be knitted on a at bed knitting machine or circular independent needle knitting machine in a single feed manner and since the individual ends N-1 Iand N-Z of the composite yarn C have been plied together so that they each contain the same length in any given length of the composite yarn, the yarn will feed through any tension device and to the needleswithout piling up. After the fabric or hose is knit, it is subjected to the usual iinishing process, such as boarding or the -like to shrink the nylon and set the fabric. During this boarding operation, the unshrunk strand Will shrink or shorten in length to a greater degree than the partially shrunk strand thus causing the strands to separate in each stitch loop. Since one yarn strand is wrapped around the other only one turn in approximately 2 inches, the yarns are not twisted together enough to prevent their separation in the stitch loops as would be the case when the yarns are highly .twisted together.

The operations shown in Figures 2 Iand 3 are conventional -and the success of the composite multiple strand yarn lies in the combination of Vthese conventional operations with the novel operation shown in Figure 1. With the individual yarn strands plied in accordance with the present disclosure, the ends will not separate' while they are being fed to the needles of a knitting machine and equal lengths of each end vare fed to the fabric and form stitch loops which contain equal lengths of each strand.

In some instances, it is desirable to combine more than two yarn ends ina composite yarn for forming sheer ladies hosiery and the like. The following example illustrates a specific manner in which three yarn ends may be plied in accordance with the present invention.

Example ll I In order to keep the total size or diameter of the composite yarn small, it is desirable that each end of the composite strand be of a relatively small diameter or denier and in this case three ends of seven denier monolament nylon yare. used. It is preferred that one end of the composite yarn, indicated at N-l in Figure 5be shrunk a greater amount orpercentage than the other two ends indicated at N-Z'gand N-3. The end N-Z' is preferably raw or unshrunk and theend N-3 (Figure 5) is preferably shrunk a smaller percentage than the endN-l.

In the present instance, the end N-1' is wound onto an aluminum size tube indicated at 10" and placed in a steam cabinet for minutes at la dry =bulb temperature of 180 degrees F. and la wet bulb temperature of 170 degrees F. to shrink the same approximately 75 percent of its shrinking potential, or about eight percent of its original or unshrunk length. The end N-Z' is raw or unshrunk as received from the manufacturer and is unwound lfrom the pim 12' as it is purchased from, the manufacturer. The end N-3 is wound onto a suitable paper tube indicated at 30 in Figure 5 and placed in a steam cabinet for 45 minutes at a dry bulb temperature of 160 degrees F. and a wet bulb temperature of degrees F. so that the y-arn is shrunk approximately 50 percent of its shrinking potential or about ve percent of its origina-1 or unshrunk length.

The three yarn ends N-l, N2' and N-3 are next combined or plied on an aparatos similar to that shown in Figure l. In this instance, the size tube 1G and pirn 12 are mounted 'on a creel board 11. which is provided with an opening for the reception of a guide tube 32, the lower end of which is xed in the board l1. It will be noted in Figure 5 that the pirn 12 surrounds the tube 32 and the yarn end N-S passes upwardly through the tube 32 and the pim 12 from the paper tube 30. The paper tube 30 is supported on an auxiliary or lower creel board 33 spaced in parallel relationship below the creel `board 11'. The three yarns from the size tube 10', the pirn 12' and the paper tube 30 are passed upwardly and through a yarn pigtail similar to that shown in Figure l and Wound onto a bobbin similar to the bobbin indicated `at 16 in Figure l. As the yarn ends N-1', N-Z andl N-3 are pulled from their respective packages, the yarns N-l and N-Z will be intertwined or plied with the yarn N-3 under very little tension so that 'in any Vgiven length of the compositestrand formed there will be equal lengths of each individual yarn.

The composite yarn thus formed from the three ends of nylon monolament is then subjected to additional twist of two turns per inch in the same manner as the double or two-ply yarn C, shown in Figure 2. The composite three-ply yarn is then oiled and conedin the same manner as the two-ply yarn C shown in Figure 3. When the three-ply yarn is knitted into a fabric and the fabric is subjected to the normal finishing operation where it is shrunk and set, the raw yarn end N-Z' will shrink approximately 10 percent, the yarn end N-3 will shrink aproximately ve per cent, and the yarn end N-l' will shrink only two per cent. This uneven shrinkage of the yarns during finishing Will cause the three yarn ends to separate from each other in each knit stitch loop'.-

While the specilic examples used recite the use of nylon yarn which has been shrunk to different degrees for forming the composite yarn, it is to be understood that other types of yarn might be used to form the composite yarn so long as each end of the yarn has different shrinking characteristics. For example, it might be possible to use one end of unshrunk nylonrwith one end of rayon which is normally non-shrinkable under heat'and when the finished article is sized or shrunk, only the nylon yarn would shrink to separate from the rayon yarn. There may also be other types of synthetic yarn which do not shrink or have different shrinking characteristics and which might be combined to form a composite yarn in the maner cited in the above examples.

The above examples set forth basic means for combining `or plying a plurality of yarn ends to form a composite strand in which each individual end of yarn is the same length as the other yarn ends of the composite yarn to facilitate the knitting of the yarn and prevent accumulations, loops, and piling up of the yarn as it is fed to the needles of a knitting machine. The reason each yarn end is the same length lies in the fact that equal tension is applied to each yarn end as it is Yfreelylunwound from their respective packages `andthe manner in which the yarn packages are arranged relative to eachother so that the yarns are wrapped about each other.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific ter-ms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. A three-ply composite yarn comprising a first strand of yarn which has been preshrunk a given percentage, a second strand of yarn which has been preshrunk a `greater percentage than said first strand, a third strand of yarn which is unshrunk, said three strands being plied together under equal tension whereby equal lengths of each strand are present in any given length of the composite yarn.

2. A three-ply composite yarn comprising a rst strand of monoilament nylon yarn which has been preshrunk a given percentage, a second strand of monoiilament nylon yarn which has been preshrunk a greater percentage than said rst strand, a third strand of monoflament nylon yarn which is unshrunk, said three strands being plied together under equal tension whereby equal lengths of each strand are present in any given length vof the cornposite yarn.

3. A three-ply composite yarn comprising a iirst strand of seven denier monoiilament nylon yarn which has been preshrunk ve percent, a second strand of seven denier monolament nylon yarn which has been preshrunk eight percent and Ia third strand of seven denier monolament nylon yarn which is unshrunk, said three strands being plied together under equal tension whereby equal lengths of each strandl are present in any given length of the composite yarn.

4. A method of forming a three-ply composite yarn of shrinkable individual yarn strands which comprises the steps of winding a iirst yarn to form a rst yarn package having a passageway therethrough, winding a second yarn to form a second yarn package having a hollow'center of larger diameter than the outside diameter of the iirst yarn package, winding a third yarn to form a third yarn package, placing the second package to surround the rst package, positioning the third package in alinement with' the passageway in the first package, passing the yarn from the third package through the hollow center of the rst package, gathering together the yarns from each package, and simultaneously withdrawing the yarns from the packages whereby the yarns will intertwine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,995,533 Boehmann et a1 Mar. 26, 1935 2,174,878 Hardy Oct. 3, 1939 2,199,429 Finlayson et a1. May 7, 1940 2,203,721 Dingley et al June 11, 1940 2,353,432 Arrington July 11, V1944 2,811,012 Klein Oct. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 573,276 Germany Apr. 2, 1932 4 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No 2944383 July l2, 1960 Charles So Lawrence et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered y.

ent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should lread as corrected below.

In the grant,z line 3, for "of New York,I vN. Y. a Corporation of New Yorkf" read of Winston-Salem? North Carolina, a 'corporation of Delaware, in the heading to the printed specification, lines 5 and 6, for "New Yorkv N. Y. a corporation of New York" read Winston-Salem, N. C. a corporation of Delaware v Signed and sealed this 28th day of April 1964.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST Wo SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

